Portable monopole tower with adjustable foundation

ABSTRACT

A modular foundation includes a central portion and a plurality of legs non-rotatably secured to and extending from the central portion. The plurality of legs are substantially equally spaced apart from each other wherein each leg includes a proximal end and a distal end. A ballast support adapter is attached to the distal end of each leg wherein the adapter is configured to support one or more ballast plates such that each leg can be independently positioned for leveling the foundation and supporting the monopole in a vertical position. A platform supports the monopole and is pivotally attached to the central portion wherein the platform is configured to move from a vertical position to a horizontal position.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a foundation and raising system for amonopole tower. More particularly, the present invention relates to aportable, modular monopole having an adjustable foundation and raisingsystem for a monopole tower that can support one of a number of piecesof equipment including wind turbines, solar panels, street lights,communication devices, monitoring systems where the system can be storedand transported in a disassembled state and assembled on site andleveled on uneven terrain and stabilized with weight.

Monopole towers are becoming increasingly utilized in numerousindustries including, for instance, renewable wind energy and solarenergy. Monopole towers are also utilized in the satellite and wirelesscommunication industries. Monopole towers provide the necessarystructural support to maintain equipment in an elevated position.Typical equipment supported by monopole towers include wind turbines,typically 100 kW and smaller, solar panels or antennae. Monopole towersalso require less capital expenditure when compared to a typical supportstructure. Monopole towers can also be utilized to supportmeteorological equipment such as an anemometer, wind direction vanes,temperature sensors and pressure sensors. Monopole towers can also beutilized to support streetlights or any other industry where an elevatedlighting source is required, such as the construction industry.

Typically, monopole towers are secured to concrete foundations havingfootings buried into the ground. Concrete foundations are typicallyexpensive to construct and often times require a construction permit.Once constructed, the foundation cannot be moved. Therefore, if alocation for a monopole tower location is abandoned or becomes obsolete,the foundation either is removed at a substantial cost or abandoned inthe location, becoming a potential hazard.

Many monopole tower constructions require a substantially flat surfacearea for set-up. For instance, an area may need to be leveled usingearth moving equipment before setting up the foundation so as to providea stable support for the foundation. The present disclosure includes amodular portable adjustable foundation and raising device toconveniently raise and lower the monopole tower and the attachedequipment.

SUMMARY

A first aspect of the present disclosure includes a monopole foundation.The foundation has a central portion having a platform for pivotallysupporting the monopole tower thereon and a plurality of legs where eachleg secured to and extending from the central base portion. Each legincludes a proximal end and a distal end. Arms are each attached to thedistal end of each leg and each arm is configured to independentlysupport ballast. The ballast are plates that can be secured to each armin one of a first position on top of the arm, and a second positionbelow the arm. The ballast stabilizes the monopole foundation in a levelposition on a ground surface. Each arm is configured with a firstballast mounting plate and a second ballast mounting plate, the platesbeing spaced apart and supported by the arm and each plate having anaperture for securing ballast plates thereto.

The ballast plates are configured to be stackable plates where eachballast plate has opposing first and second surfaces. The first surfaceof a first plate nests within the second surface of a second plate forsubstantially flush stacking of two or more ballast plates.

Another aspect of the present disclosure includes a frame secured to thecentral portion of the foundation for supporting one or more solarpanels.

The monopole tower may support a communications system thereon andfurther comprise a wind turbine for capturing renewable energy, whichmay be stored in batteries supported on the foundation.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure includes a deviceconfigured to retain equipment in a leveled and elevated position. Thedevice includes the foundation having a central portion and theplurality of legs, each leg secured to and extending from the centralportion wherein each leg includes a proximal end and a distal end. Thedevice includes the plurality of arms, wherein each arm is attached tothe distal end of each leg, and where each arm is configured toindependently support one or more ballast plates. The device also has aplatform pivotally attached to the central portion wherein the platformis configured to move from a vertical position to a horizontal positionand a monopole tower having a bottom end and a top end wherein thebottom end of the monopole tower attaches to the platform and the topend is configured to retain the equipment. The equipment includes arenewable energy capture device and a communications system with one ormore antennas.

The arms each have a mounting plate configured to be coupled to the armto the distal end of the leg; an upper ballast support plate and a lowerballast support plate, each support plate having a plurality of securingapertures therein; and a tubular arm extending from the mounting plateto the upper and lower ballast support plates.

The monopole can be a multi-section monopole that can be assembledon-site.

The device further includes a lifting mechanism having a top endattached to the platform and a bottom end attached to the centralportion wherein the lifting mechanism is manipulated to pivotally movethe platform from the vertical position to the horizontal position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foundation a monopole tower in araised configuration.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the foundation leveled on an uneven surface andthe monopole tower in the raised configuration.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the foundation.

FIG. 4 is a partial exploded view of a leg of the foundation and acentral portion of the foundation.

FIG. 5A is a rear perspective view of a ballast support adapter for anarm of the foundation.

FIG. 5B is a front perspective view of the ballast support adapter forthe arm of the foundation.

FIG. 6A is a front perspective view of a connector for a ballast supportadapter.

FIG. 6B is a side view of the connector for the ballast support adapter.

FIG. 6C is a rear view of the connector for the ballast support adapter.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a frame for mounting on the foundationand for supporting renewal energy capture devices.

FIG. 8A is a top perspective view of a ballast plate for the foundation.

FIG. 8B is a bottom perspective view of a ballast plate for thefoundation.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the foundation and a monopole tower in alowered configuration.

FIG. 10 is a partial exploded view of the ballast plates and supportadapter.

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of a jack attached to thefoundation for raising and lowering the monopole tower.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A portable and adjustable foundation for supporting, elevating andlowering a monopole tower 12 is generally illustrated in FIGS. 1-2 at10. The monopole tower 12 is pivotally attached to the foundation 10 andis raised and lowered with a lifting mechanism 8. The lifting mechanism8 may be a jack, however, other raising and lowering mechanisms are alsocontemplated. The foundation 10 is adjustable such that the foundation10 can be leveled on an uneven surface using ballast 14 that is alsoprovided for stabilizing the foundation 10 and monopole tower 12.

The foundation 10, monopole 12, and ballast 14 can be transported in acompact, disassembled state. The design of the foundation 10 also allowsthe components to be assembled with standard tools. The design of thefoundation therefore allows for compact packing for travel and storage,and also allows the foundation 10 to be easily assembled in a shortamount of time. The foundation 10 provides increased convenience andaccessibility to the use of monopole towers 12 in remote locations andin diverse terrain.

Similarly, the monopole 12 can be a multi-section monopole. For example,the monopole illustrated in the figures is a five-section monopole. Theinterlocking sectional design of the monopole 12 also allows for compactpacking of the pole sections for travel and/or storage, and also allowsthe monopole 12 to be easily assembled in a short amount of time. Fivesections are exemplary in nature, however two, three, or more sectionsare contemplated and any number of sections for forming the monopole arewithin the scope of this disclosure.

The foundation 10 includes a central portion 16 having an upper plate 18and a lower plate 19 that are spaced apart by proximal ends 22 of legs20. Four legs 20 are typically utilized and are evenly spaced apartaround the central portion 16. While four or more legs 20 are typical,three or more legs 20 are contemplated.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3-4, each leg 20, which are similarlyconstructed, includes a tubular portion 24 at the proximal end 22 havingupper and lower bosses 26 and 28 that secure within an upper aperture 30in the upper plate 19 and a lower aperture 32 in the lower plate 21,respectively. A securing mechanism 18, such as a bolt 18 is positionedthrough a through bore 25 in the tubular portion 24 where the bolt 18extends through the top edge of the upper boss 26. A washer 33 typicallyseparates the head of the bolt from a bottom surface of the lower plate18. A flat washer 34 and a nut 36 secure the bosses 26 and 28 within theapertures 30 and 32, respectively. Utilizing bosses 26 and 28 providesfor positive locking of the tubular portion 24 to the plates 18 and 19while preventing bolt sheer. While the embodiment illustrated comprisesfour legs 20, three or more legs 20 can be incorporated and are withinthe scope of this disclosure.

The leg 20 includes an upper bar 38 and a lower bar 40 that are attachedto the tubular portion 24 proximate the upper and lower bosses 26 and28, respectively. The upper bar 38 and the lower bar 40 attach to amounting plate 42 at a distal end 41 of the leg 20 where the distancebetween the upper bar 28 and the lower bar 40 gradually converges suchthat the upper bar 38 is at a steeper angle than the lower bar 40. Theupper and lower bars 38 and 40 are reinforced by intermediate bracingplates 43 which prevent the bars 38 and 40 from bending or bowing whensupporting the monopole 8 and a piece of equipment.

A tab 44 extending from the upper bar 38 is positioned within a slot 46in the upper plate 18 where the engagement of the tab 44 with the slot46 prevents rotation of the leg 20 about the bolt and therefore retainsthe leg 20 in a fixed position relative to the central portion 12. Theslots 46 are typically located ninety degrees apart from each other onthe upper plate 18 for a four leg foundation 10. However, the locationof the slots 46 and apertures 30 and 32 will vary depending on thenumber of legs 20 utilized in the foundation 10.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B a ballast support adapter 50 is configuredto be attached to the distal end 41 of each leg 20. The ballast supportadapter 50 is typically constructed from a sheet of metal that isstamped and bent to form the desired configuration of the ballastsupport adapter 50. However, the ballast support adapter 50 could alsobe formed by attaching desired portions to each other, such as but notlimited to, with a weld.

The ballast support adapter 50 includes a lower plate 52 havingapertures 54 and an upper plate 56 having apertures 58 therein. Frontand rear side walls 60 and 62 extend upwardly from the bottom plate 52to the top plate 56 and the front side wall 60 has an opening 63 thataccepts a mounting bar 64. The mounting bar 64 has flat surfaces thatengage flat surfaces on the aligned opening 63 to prevent the mountingbar 64 from rotating with respect to the ballast support adapter 50. Themounting bar 64 thus extends through the front side wall 60 and betweenthe lower and upper plates 52 and 56. The lower and upper plates 52 and56 are substantially flat plates that are positioned in a plane parallelto the length of the mounting bar 64. Proximal end 66 of the mountingbar 64 has a mounting bracket 68 that is securable to the mountingbracket 42 at the distal end 41 of the leg 20. A threaded engagementutilizing bolts 45 is typically utilized to secure the mounting brackets68 and 23 together such that the ballast support adapter 50 isnon-rotatably and securely attachable to the leg 20, however othersecuring mechanisms are contemplated and within the scope of thisdisclosure.

As discussed in further detail below, ballast can be secured below theballast support adapter 50 by connection with the lower plate 52independently on each of the plurality of legs 20 of the foundation 10to level the foundation. Ballast can be secured on top of the ballastsupport adapter 50 by connection with the upper plate 26 to furtherstabilize the foundation 10 and the monopole tower 12.

Also securable to the mounting bracket 42 is an adapter plate 70 asillustrated in FIGS. 6A-6C. The adapter plate 70 can be secured to thefoundation 10 between the mounting bracket 42 of the leg 20 and themounting bracket 68 of the ballast support adapter 50. The adapter plate70 allows for the securing of a frame 90 to the foundation 10, wherethis frame 90 may support one or more solar panels 95 on the foundation10. The adapter plate 70 includes a back wall 72 having one or morepairs of apertures 74, where the apertures 74 have elongated lengths.Left and right side walls 76 and 78 are tapered side walls 76 and 78extending along and attached to right and left edges of the back wall72. The tapered side walls 76 and 78 are positioned such that an end ofeach side wall having a greatest depth is attached to a bottom surfaceof a top wall 80 and support the top wall 80 thereon. The tapered sidewalls 76 and 78 provide strength to the plate 70 and support the topwall 80 thus preventing the top wall 80 from bending under the weight ofsupport frame 90 and solar panels secured thereto. The top wall 80 mayhave one or more apertures 82 therein. The apertures 82 allow for theconnection of the support frame 90 to the adapter plate 70 for mountingon the foundation 10.

The ballast support adapter 50 and adapter plate 70 together allow fornumerous orientations for securing and leveling the foundation 10 andsupporting the monopole tower 12 on various terrain, including uneventerrain. The ballast support adapter 50 can move vertically with respectto its attachment with the respective leg 20, which allows for betterleveling of the foundation 10 when used on uneven terrain. For example,the ballast support adapter 50 can be mounted at various locations withrespect to the corresponding leg 20 via securing the apertures 55 on theballast support adapter 50 to any one of the various pairs of spacedapart apertures 74 in the mounting plate 70 when the mounting plate 70is secured between the ballast support adapter mounting bracket 54 andthe mounting bracket 42 at the distal end 41 of the leg 20.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, an exemplary support frame 90 has a tubularframework comprising a plurality of interconnected tubes or rods 92 and94. The frame 90 can be assembled on site for ease in transport. Atleast some of the rods are first rods 92 and the rods 92 havesubstantially the same length. At least some of the rods 94 are secondrods 94 and the rods 94 have varying lengths.

In the embodiment illustrated, the respective rods 92 and 94 aresubstantially vertical rods 92 and substantially horizontal rods 94 withrespect to a ground surface when the foundation 10 is installed andsubstantially leveled with respect to said ground surface. In theembodiment illustrated in the figures, the rods 92A and 92B are securedin a generally upright manner to the top of each top wall 80 secured tothe foundation 10 to provide a perimeter to the frame 90. The rods 92Aand 92B are secured using bolts, screws, clips or other suitablefasteners. The rods 94A, 94B, and 94C are then positioned in a generallyhorizontal manner and are spaced apart along a length of two adjacentrods 92A and 92B and secured thereto. The horizontal rods 94A, 9B, and94C are secured to the vertical rods 92A and 92B at one or moreconnection points 93 via clips, ties, or other suitable fasteners. Whilethe embodiment illustrated shows the rods 92 in a generally verticalinstallation and the rods 94 in a generally horizontal installation, theframe 90 is not so limited in installation.

In general, the support frame 90 comprises a lower rod 94A that isgreater in length than a middle rod 94B, which is greater in length thanan upper rod 94C. First ends of the rods 94A, 94B and 94C are secured toa first rod 92A and second opposing ends of the rods 94A, 94B, and 94Cextend beyond the connection with second rod 92B to provide an inclinedsupport surface for securing the solar panel 95 to the framework 90. Therods may be angled with respect to the attachment to the foundation andwith respect to the attachment to one another. For example, the rods 94may be secured across to the rods 92 where the rods 92 and 94 form anangle other than approximately 90° with respect to one another. Furtherthis support frame 90 may be configured to support anywhere from one toten solar panels 95.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the foundation 10 can then be leveled andsecured on a ground surface of varying terrain with ballast. Asillustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the ballast 14 comprises one or moreballast plates 100 secured to each leg 20 of the foundation 10 viaconnection with the ballast support adapter 50. In one embodiment, theballast plates 100 can be pre-cast ballast plates 100 having a firstsurface 102 and a corresponding opposing surface 104 that allow eachplate 100 to be secured to either the upper plate 56 or lower plate 52of the ballast support adapter 50. The plates 100 are configured suchthat the plates 100 can be secured to the foundation 10 in both aposition on top of the ballast support adapter 50 or a position belowthe ballast support adapter 50. This allows the same plate 100 to beused for leveling the foundation 10 and providing counterweight forstabilizing the monopole tower 12.

The plates 100 each include one or more apertures 116 configured toreceive a securing mechanism 108 for mounting one or more plates 100 tothe ballast support adapter 50. The plates 100 are configured to bestackable such that one or a plurality of plates 100 can be secured ontop of the support adapter 50 and/or below the support adapter 50. Athreaded engagement utilizing bolts 108 having varying lengths dependingon the number of plates secured to the support adapter 50 can also beprovided. Bolts 108 and corresponding washers and nuts 110 are typicallyutilized to secure the one or more ballast plates 100 to the top orbottom support plate 58 or 60, respectively.

In the embodiment illustrated herein, each ballast plate 100 isgenerally rectangular in shape, although other geometric shapes arecontemplated. The first surface 102 of each plate has a recessed surfaceportion 112 wherein one or more apertures 116 are located therein.Correspondingly, the second surface 104 of the plate is the opposingsurface of the plate and includes a protruding surface area 114corresponding to the recessed surface area on the other side of theplate 100. Thus, the plates 100 are configured to be stackable as theprotruding surface area 114 of one plate rests in the recessed surfacearea 112 of an adjacent plate. This also allows the plates 100 to beused in a first orientation, for example, with the recessed surface area112 facing upwardly and outwardly when the plate 100 is mounted to thetop support plate 58 of the ballast support adapter 50. A reverse sideof the plate 100 allows the plate 100 to be used in a secondorientation, for example, wherein the protrusion 114 is facing upwardlyand inwardly when the plate 100 is secured to the bottom support plate60. The second surface 114 is the surface contacting the top or bottomplate for securing the plate 100 to the ballast support arm 50, and theplates 100 are attached either above or below the ballast support arm 50for leveling the foundation and supporting the monopole tower 6 in theupright position concurrently. A method of mounting of the ballastplates 100 onto the foundation 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.

The ballast plates 100 can be utilized both as counter weights and alsoto adjust the height of the legs 20 while also providing support andstability to the foundation 10 and monopole 12. The ballast plates 100are coupled to the ballast support adapter 50 where the weight of theballast plates 100 retains the foundation 10 in the selected positionand resists the monopole 12 and the attached equipment from toppling,such as due to wind loading. The foundation 10 is configured to supportstackable ballast allowing the monopole tower to be leveled on a slopeof us to about 20 degrees.

In some embodiments, batteries 120 can also be utilized for stabilizingthe monopole tower 12. Additionally, or alternatively, the batteries 120can be positioned on top of an installed ballast plate 100 and operablyconnected to equipment supported by the foundation 10 or monopole tower12. For example, the batteries 120 can provide electricity to a remotesite as the electricity can be captured by solar and/or wind drivengeneration and stored in the batteries 120.

For example, one or more solar panels 95 may be operably mounted toand/or supported by the foundation 10. In one embodiment, one or more2.8 kW solar panels 95 are installed on the frame 90 around thefoundation 10. The solar panel 95 is electrically connected to thebattery for storage of the energy captured. While 2.8 kW solar panelsare illustrated, any lower or higher wattage panel, cell or panel numberand physical size is contemplated as the solar panels supported on thefoundation are selected based in part on the kilowatt hour (kWh)consumption in the environment where the foundation 10 is installed.

For example, a wind turbine 122 may be operably secured to the monopoletower 12 and electrically connected to the batteries 120 fortransferring electricity to the batteries 120 for storage. In theembodiment illustrated, the wind turbine 122 is a small wind turbine,examples including but are not limited to a 1.2 kW wind turbine. Windturbines of various sizes and capable of generating more or less energyare contemplated and within the scope of this disclosure. The windturbine 122 is installed at the terminal top end of the monopole tower12.

A communications module 124 may also be operably secured to the monopoletower 12. The communications module 124 includes one or more antennas126 and 128. For example, a first and second antenna 126 and 128 aresecured at spaced apart locations along a length of the monopole tower12. The first antenna 126 may be a directional antenna having multipleparallel elements in a line such as half-wave dipoles made of metal rod,commonly referred to as a Yagi antenna and having a frequency in therange of 698-2700 MHz. The second antenna 128 may be a dual band, singleport, planar antenna with a frequency range of approximately 1695-2180MHz. Alternative antennas for purposes of communication are contemplatedand are within the scope of this disclosure.

Referring back to FIGS. 1-4 and as illustrated in further detail in FIG.11, raising and lowering the monopole 12 can be done with a jack 8 thatattaches to a bottom mounting bracket 130 extending from the lower plate21 and a mounting bracket 132 attached to the monopole tower 12. Themounting bracket 130 is attached to the lower plate 21 with a threadedengagement of bolts 131 and nuts 133. A mechanical screw type jack 8 isillustrated. However, any lifting mechanism capable of raising andlowering the monopole tower 12 and the attached equipment can beutilized, including but not limited to a hydraulic ram.

To raise the monopole tower 12, a plate 134 attached to the bottom endof the monopole tower 12, is secured to a mounting bracket 136 attachedto the upper plate 19. The mounting bracket 136 includes a lower portion138 having two spaced apart lower members 140 and 142 having alignedthrough bores proximate an upper end. An upper portion 144 having spacedapart upper members 146 are fixedly attached to the plate 134. A pivotpin is secured through the aligned apertures to pivotally attach thelower and upper portions 138 and 144, respectively such that themonopole tower 12 can be pivotally raised and lowered relative to thefoundation 10, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The foundation 10 provides a compact modular design that can be easilytransported and constructed on site. The foundation 10 has numeroussecuring and leveling features which allow the foundation 10 to besecured in several ways such that the foundation 10 can be utilized onalmost any surface or terrain. Finally, the foundation 10 is safe,efficient and easily constructed piece of equipment that can be utilizedfor raising and lowering the monopole tower 6 without the need ofadditional equipment or more than one person.

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

1. A monopole foundation comprising: a central portion having a platformfor pivotally supporting the monopole thereon; a plurality of legs, eachleg secured to and extending from the central base portion wherein eachleg includes a proximal end and a distal end; and a plurality of arms,wherein each arm is attached to the distal end of each leg and whereineach arm is vertically movable with respect to its attachment to therespective leg, wherein each of the plurality of arms is configured toindependently support ballast and wherein the ballast can be secured toeach arm in a first position above the arms and a second position belowthe arms for stabilizing the monopole foundation in a level position ona ground surface.
 2. The foundation of claim 1, wherein each arm of theplurality of arms comprises a first ballast mounting plate and a secondballast mounting plate spaced apart and supported by the arm and whereinthe mounting plates each comprise at least one ballast securingaperture.
 3. The foundation of claim 2, wherein the first positioncomprises securing ballast to the first mounting plate with one or morebolts such that the ballast is secured on top of the arm.
 4. Thefoundation of claim 2, wherein the second position comprises securingballast to the second mounting plate with one or more bolts such thatthe ballast is secured below the arm.
 5. The foundation of claim 1,wherein the ballast comprises one or more stackable ballast plateswherein each ballast plate has a first surface and a second surface on areverse side of the ballast plate such that the first surface of a firstplate nests within the second surface of a second plate forsubstantially flush stacking of two or more ballast plates.
 6. Thefoundation of claim 1, wherein the monopole is a multi-section monopolecomprising a plurality of sections configured to be secured together foron-site assembly of the monopole.
 7. The foundation of claim 1, andfurther comprising a frame secured to the central portion, wherein theframe is configured to support one or more solar panels and wherein theone or more solar panels are electrically connected to one or morebatteries supported on the foundation for storing electricity capturedby the solar panels.
 8. The foundation of claim 7, wherein the frame issecured to the central portion with a plurality of mounting bracketswherein each one of the mounting brackets is secured to the distal endof each leg.
 9. The foundation of claim 1, and further comprising aplurality of mounting brackets such that one mounting bracket is securedto the distal end of each leg and each mounting bracket in the pluralityof mounting brackets comprises a plurality of spaced apart apertures forsecuring each arm to each leg in a plurality positions such that aposition of each arm is adjustable with respect to its attachment to therespective leg.
 10. The foundation of claim 1, wherein the foundationfurther supports one or more batteries for storing electricity capturedfrom one or more renewable energy sources operably coupled to themonopole or foundation.
 11. The foundation of claim 1, and furthercomprising a communications system having one or more antennas securedto the monopole.
 12. The foundation of claim 1, and further comprising awind turbine operably secured to the monopole and wherein the windturbine is electrically connected to one or more batteries supported onthe foundation for storing electricity generated by the wind turbine.13. A device configured to retain equipment in a leveled and elevatedposition, the device comprising: a foundation comprising: a centralportion; a plurality of legs, each leg secured to and extending from thecentral base portion wherein each leg includes a proximal end and adistal end; and a plurality of arms, wherein each arm is attached to thedistal end of each leg, wherein each of the plurality of arms isconfigured to independently support ballast and wherein the ballast canbe secured to each arm in a first position above the arm and a secondposition below the arm; and a platform pivotally attached to the centralportion wherein the platform is configured to move from a verticalposition to a horizontal position; and a monopole tower having a bottomend and a top end wherein the bottom end of the monopole tower attachesto the platform and the top end is configured to retain the equipment.14. The device of claim 13 wherein the equipment comprises one or moreof a renewable energy capture device and a communications systemcomprising one or more antennas.
 15. The device of claim 13 and whereinthe plurality of arms comprise: a mounting plate for coupling the arm tothe distal end of the leg; an upper ballast support plate and a lowerballast support plate, each support plate having a plurality of securingapertures therein; and a tubular arm extending from the mounting plateto the upper and lower ballast support plates.
 16. The device of claim13 and further comprising a plurality of ballast plates wherein theballast plates are stackable.
 17. The device of claim 16 wherein eachballast plate comprises: a first surface; a second surface on a reverseside of the ballast plate; one or more securing apertures; and whereinthe first surface of a first plate nests within the second surface of asecond plate for stacking of two or more ballast plates.
 18. The deviceof claim 13 and further comprising a frame mounted to the centralportion with one or more mounting brackets, wherein the frame isconfigured to operably support one or more solar panels thereon andelectrically connected to one or more batteries.
 19. The device of claim13 and further comprising a jack having a top end attached to theplatform and a bottom end attached to the central portion wherein thejack is manipulated to pivotally move the platform from the verticalposition to the horizontal position.
 20. The device of claim 13 whereinthe monopole tower is comprised of a plurality of sections such that themonopole tower a multi-section assembly.